WESTPORT — An East Providence, R.I., promoter is charged with advertising and selling tickets to a fake concert by R&B and jazz singer Will Downing, police said.

Allen Ganeto, 61, is charged with larceny by check and larceny by false pretenses over $250, according to police.

Ganeto made concert posters, printed tickets with the singer’s photo on them and sold about 50 tickets for the event, which was purportedly to take place Saturday night at White’s of Westport, police said. The tickets were sold for $47 and $27 each.

Police said about 30 people showed up for the concert on Saturday and were turned away.

According to police, White’s alerted them to a possible scam after a man booked an event with a check from a closed account. Police contacted the entertainer’s agent and learned Downing was scheduled to perform Saturday night at an inaugural ball for President Barack Obama, said Detective Sgt. Antonio J. Cestodio, public information officer for the Westport Police Department.

While under police questioning on Saturday, Ganeto acknowledged the concert wasn’t going to be held and said he was going to White’s that night to repay people their money, Detective Jeffrey Majewski said. But when Ganeto arrived at White’s, Majewski said, he had no money and no paperwork for the event other than the posters and the tickets.

Ganeto claimed his business partner in a company known as AM Detailing of South Dartmouth had duped him, according to police. He claimed he gave his partner all the proceeds from the ticket sales along with the money to book the event, Majewski said.

Ganeto was taken into custody about 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, police said.

White’s never booked the room and some ticket holders who called there were informed there was no concert, Majewski said.

Ganeto promoted the event in the Boston area and in New Bedford, where he worked as a basketball coach for the New Bedford Youth Basketball League. Most of the people who bought tickets from him were acquaintances from that basketball organization, police said.

According to police, this is not the first time that Ganeto promoted and took money for a false event. In October, he made tickets for a concert by R&B and gospel singer Howard Hewitt that never took place.

Police are asking anyone with information about AM Detailing and Ganeto to contact Westport detectives at 508-636-1122.